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This just in: OS X running on PCs a bad idea, or: C.K.'s lost it
Who could've imagined that hell would freeze over and C.K. would lose it all in the same day? Check out his It's on! post. Did you notice his "Of course, the real key to this would be if Apple would just go ahead and release a version of OS X for PCs" line towards the end?Granted we're still at ground zero in terms of this Boot Camp news, but I can't think of resulting a conclusion/speculation that I couldn't disagree more with. It's great that Apple's allowing all those Mac users to run Windows for an app or two that doesn't work in Mac OS X yet, but I really don't think Boot Camp signifies Apple's first step towards 'fighting the PC revolution' using anyone's hardware but their own. Aside from the 'Apple is a hardware company' business model argument, it would undermine both their business and engineering practices on a number of levels.Apple licensing out Mac OS X to run on anyone's hardware would unleash the very stability and management nightmares that they've been trying to avoid by controlling both hardware and software. This scenario is very much like what would happen if they opened up the iTunes and iPod platform: look at Microsoft's 'Plays for Sure' attempt at helping iTunes' competitors. Napster's own CEO has publicly stated that, more or less: it sucks.In the context of an industry where anyone and their mother can slap together parts for PCs with crazy glue and duct tape, Apple's model of controlling the hardware that their stellar software runs on has far more of a purpose than simply gouging people's bank accounts; and even the age-old whine of "but Mac/iPod hardware is more expensive" has been thoroughly discounted.Please, readers of TUAW, I beg you: don't listen to C.K. He's clearly lost it. Let's all have a moment of silence for our fellow blogger in hopes that he can find the strength to regain his sanity.
Boot Camp: Spread the word
Have you got a friend/relative/whatever with an Intel Mac that would love to hear about Boot Camp? Or better still: Wouldn't you just love to send this information off to that smug PC user you know, the one who always tells you that Macs are useless toys? I sure would (and already have).Apple has built a page for doing just that. Tell the world. Macs do Windows.
What the Boot Camp Windows install doesn't support
I just read over the Boot Camp install instructions (to find out what Boot Camp is read this post) and they are pretty straightforward. During the process you create what Apple is calling a 'Driver CD' which contains all the drivers to let Windows use your Airport card, the networking on your Mac, and various other things.Here's what won't work in Windows on your Intel Mac: iSight Apple Remote Apple USB modem keyboard backlighting on the MacBook Pro
Apple to PC Manufacturers and Windows: It's on!
OMG I cannot stop giggling with glee over Scott's Boot Camp post. Apple has just thrown down a pretty major gauntlet to all the current PC manufacturers. I mean, now, thousands of cubicle workers around the globe can say, "Yes, I can run Windows on my MacBook Pro. I won't be needing that Dell machine you ordered for me to run the one bit of proprietary Windows-based software that has shackled our company to an expensive spyware and virus-riddled platform for far too long."If it works nicely, that means in the short term that Dell is in big trouble, as are all other PC manufacturers. It also means that Windows may be making some more money starting out, as a decent number of Apple users *may* go out and buy a copy to install on their Macs. However, over time, if Apple plays its cards right and doesn't screw things up, people will see that booting into OS X runs more smoothly and is nicer than booting into Windows, and we may see more switchers than ever before.Of course, the real key to this would be if Apple would just go ahead and release a version of OS X for PCs. I think with Boot Camp, Apple just threw down the gauntlet and within a year, they'll take the fight to the desktop PC. I cannot wait.
Apple introduces Boot Camp
In a bold move today, Apple has released a public beta of Boot Camp, a piece of technology that will be integrated with Leopard that is just for Intel Macs. Why is it so bold? Boot Camp allows you to dual boot Windows XP and OS X on any Intel Mac. The software even includes Mac specific drivers for networking, graphics, audio, Airport wireless, and bluetooth (amongst other things).You can download the public beta right now (it checks in at 83MB).
